NEWARK — A Hall-of-Famer named Teemu Selanne used to repeat the same mantra over and over again during the postseason: “We need everybody.”

Devils coach John Hynes may be repeating that to his team, as well.

As the Devils try to climb into their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hynes wants his team to know that it’s not about who is on the ice and who isn’t, but what everyone on the ice is contributing.

The Devils, who lost the first two games in Tampa, found themselves hoping for big opportunities on home ice this week. But while home ice is nice, Hynes says it's not about where they play or who plays on what line, it's about what the players on the ice are contributing.

“Even though we’ve made some lineup changes, we have to play better,” Hynes said Monday after the morning skate. “The guys who remain in the lineup, they have to better. I wouldn’t say that we’ve had a lot of outstanding performances in Game 1 and Game 2 and that’s what you need. You need to have some outstanding performances from your team.”

The Devils decided to go back to a regular lineup of 12 forwards and six defensemen, with Marcus Johansson and Drew Stafford drawing into the lineup. Both are playoff veterans capable of playing the kind of tight-checking game you have to play in the postseason, but the addition of Johansson could be extremely beneficial.

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Devils’ forward Marcus Johansson talks about the anticipation of returning to the lineup for Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The forward missed the last 35 games of the regular season and the first two of the postseason with concussion symptoms. Seeing their fallen teammate back on the ice could give the Devils a morale boost.

It could also be an offensive boost.

“Getting JoJo back after such a long time will be huge for us. He’s kind of another offensive threat that we’ve been missing,” forward Blake Coleman said before Monday's Game 3. “He’s been away a long time and it’s exciting for him for sure and we certainly need him. So we’ll be counting on him to be a big impact player right off the bat, even though he’s been out for a long time. He’ll provide a little bit of a spark for everybody.”

Johansson has been skating for the last three weeks and was cleared for contact during the final week of the regular season. The Devils were cautious with his return, and before the postseason began he reiterated that he would not get into a game unless he was “100 percent."

He said he's confident he can play his game without any side effects.

“I try to be a good two-way player and help in any way I can,” Johansson said. “If it’s playing offensively or defensively to get it done, I’m up for it. And hopefully (add) some experience too from the playoffs. Just try and go out and play my game and play hard and help spark things a little bit, maybe.”

Cory Schneider returned to the net for Monday night's Game 3 at Prudential Center, with Keith Kinkaid backing him up. It’s a new-look Devils lineup, but the bottom line remains the same: Execute.

“We’re not thinking because there’s a last change or because we’ve made lineup changes that’s going to be a big difference in the game, we’ve got to play better,” Hynes said. “We need guys to step up and play a better more thorough game as a group. And if the players that come into the lineup do that, then that’s a big bonus.”

Aces in the hole

With Binghamton of the American Hockey League out of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the black aces are on their way. A soon-to-be minor leaguer was on the ice with the team Monday. Joey Anderson signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Devils on Sunday afternoon.

The Minnesota-Duluth prospect isn’t expected to play in the postseason, but Hynes said he hasn’t ruled out using some of the Binghamton Devils players should situations arise where they may be needed.